Device for interfolding sheets of paper



3 3 3, 2 0 5, l m E T S N U A R B R.

july 22 1924.

DEVICE FOR INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER Filed June 19', 1922 um "I o| IMI ILL I I I I II I I III Ill I lo WM Patented July 22, i924.

ROGER BRAUNSTEIN, OF PARIS, FRANCE,

DEVICE EUR INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

Application filed J'une 19, 1922. Serial No. 589,540.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROGER BRAUNs'rEiN, citizen of the Republic of France, and reslding at 83 Boulevard Exelmanstat Paris, France, have invented Improvements Relating to Devices for Interfolding Sheets o f Paper, of which the following 1s a specication.

The present invention relates to improvement applicable to mechanical devices for use in inter-folding paper in general and principally sheets of cigarette paper, in order to facilitate theoperation which eX- tremely thin paper renders particularly difiicult.

The device generally employed for producing continuously inter-folded sheets of cigarette paper consists of two similar drums which are suitably cut 'in the form of teeth on portions ofthe periphery thereof, the other portions of these drums being left smooth and turned to a diameter slightly less than the pitch circle at the bottom of the teeth, these drums being turned at the same speed but in opposite directions by engagement of one with the other.

Into each of these drums there is fed by hand or mechanically into the space between the teeth, when these are in their uppermost position a sheet of paper folded in two which is consequently carried forward by the rotation of the toothed drums. By reason of the engagement of the two drums the sheets of paper are inter-folded. When the inter-folding has been effected, friction brushes bearing upon the smooth portions of the toothed drums assist in detaching the sheets of paper near the point of contact at the inner pitch circles of the toothed drums. These friction brushes also form the lateral walls of a magazine for the reception of the inter-folded papers in which the sheets are received when folded up in a zig-zag ,mannerl In practice the operation of this system presents the serious inconvenience as it necessitates that the sheets must be perfectly folded so that they will assume their correct position between the teeth of the drum, and even in this case they may not always be applied correctly upon the faces of the teeth as they are sometimes too open, or too closed, or bent. Moreover it is also necessary to avoid the troublesome action which may be caused by air drafts and by the centrifugal action which is the case when the toothed drums' are driven speed.

The present invention has for its' subject a device enabling this disadvantage to be obviated and to effect the correct placing of the sheet on the faces of the teeth, provided that the fold of this sheet is clearly indicated and that the paperfalls between the teeth, the apex of the fold towards the bottom, in such a manner that at the point of Contact with the outer surfaceA of the toothed drums the sheets overlap one within the other no matter what their tendency-may be to close, bend or remain open.

In order to obtain this result the teeth of the drums are provided with a suitable number of perforations which at one end communicate with the faces of the teeth and at the other end with the surface of a sta` tionary cylinder which forms a hollow distributing member on which the toothed drum rotates. This stationary cylinder is provided with a suitable port which is controlled by the rotation of the rotary drum in the same manner as a distributor so that at required moments the interior of the hollow cylinder is brought into communication with the perforations. If therefore the interior of the hollow cylinder is connected to a vacuum pump of any suitable system, the action of this pump will produce a suction action at the perforations upon the sheet of paper which will thus be drawn accurately between the teeth of the drum.

The accompanying drawing shows by way of example a form of construction of the device forming the subject of the present invention.

In the drawing- Figure l shows an elevation, partly in at a very high section, of the device, and

`Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the device.

4 In these drawings a a indicate two drums which are provided with teeth b b and are constructed as hereinbefore described, that is to say that parts l Z are smooth and are turned to a diameter slightly less lthan the pitch circle at the bottom of the teeth.

Into the space between the teeth Z) Zi when passing the upper portion of the drums are placed sheets of paper c c suitably folded as indicated in the drawing by chain dotted lines, the sheets of paper being supplied in such a manner that the apex of the fold will rest as exactly as possible in the bottom of teeth between which they are placed. In

' the drawing the arrangement is such that the two pert'oiationsd d' disposed on the adjacent sides of two teeth communicate with the same passage e e which communicates by radial passages fl f hollow stationary cylinder g g provided with a port h h which only opens communication between passages f f and the cylinder g during certain portions of the rotation of the drum, a a. It would be useless to apply the suction action after the folding of the sheets which occurs vat a point where the pitch circles of the drums are tangential. At this point friction brushes, such as fm m', bearing upon the smooth portions Z l of the toothed drum assist in detaching the sheets of paper and also form a magazine for the reception of the inter-folder sheets of paper.

It will be seen in the drawing that the ports h h of the stationary cylinders g g are themselves stationary and their operation is controlled by the movement of the toothed drums which turn around the cylinders g g thus bringing the ports successively into communication with the separate passages f f which pass them and thus successively into communication with the perforations d d of the separate teeth. In this manner a very regular operation and consequently av very regular inter-folding of the separate sheets of paper is obtained.

In order to assist in the detachment of the inter-folded sheets the action of the friction brushes m m may be supplemented by a supply of air which passes through assage 'i z" which serve to supply at desire points with the interior of the v of each of the toothed drums a stream of air under pressure which serves to detach the inter-folded sheets from the teeth of the drums. This arrangement will of course be provided beyond the ends of the ports h h at points where the inter-folding has been completed so that the suction action may be removed and may with advantage be replaced by a projecting action at the exterior of the inter-folded sheets.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

l. A machine for interolding sheets of paper, comprising, two toothed wheels, a hollow portion in each wheel, which hollow portions are in communication with a source cf vacuum, the teeth on the wheels being of V-shape to receive a sheet of paper previously folded in V form, and means connecting the peripheries of the wheels with the hollow portions.

2. A machine for interfolding sheets of paper, comprising, two toothed wheels, a hollow portion in each wheel in communication with a source of vacuum, and conduits connecting the hollow portions with spaces between two successive teeth of the wheels.

3. A machine for interfolding sheets of paper, comprising, two toothed wheels, hollows in the wheels, conduits connecting the hollows with the peripheries of the wheels, the conduits being in communication with a source of air under pressure, whereby to detach sheets of paper from the wheels, at desired points.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ROGER BRAUNSTEIN. 

